The present invention relates to signs and stand devices for displaying warnings or other pertinent information, particularly in emergency situations. The invention more specifically relates to such signs and stand devices that are light-weight and may be folded or retracted into a compact structure for transportation or storage.
Compact, light-weight, easily portable and easily assemblable warning devices are a necessity for emergency use. At accident scenes, for example, police and other emergency vehicles need to provide a warning to other traffic approaching the accident, slow that traffic down, and direct it safely around the accident site. The warning devices should be small enough to fit easily in the emergency vehicle without taking up too much space and yet be large enough in use to be seen easily by other motorists. It is also imperative that the warning devices be usable at all times regardless of weather conditions. For obvious safety reasons, the warning devices should not blow over or slide to undesired locations (such as into traffic) in high winds.
The ability of the emergency warning device to be sufficiently large in use to be readily visible to oncoming motorists is an especially important consideration. Vehicles arriving at or passing by an accident or emergency site create an extremely dangerous hazard to emergency and accident personnel at the scene, as well as the emergency vehicles parked nearby. As to the latter point, a large number of police vehicles are struck and damaged each year at accident sites by approaching cars and other vehicles which were not adequately warned about the accident ahead of them.
Numerous sign stands are known today which are used for supporting various signs for providing messages, warnings, advertisements, or other pertinent information to the public, particularly along construction sites or at business establishments. These signs are typically positioned on sign standards that are either anchored in the ground, held in place by sandbags or other heavy objects, or spring-mounted on bases which allow them to bend or deflect, without tipping over, under high wind forces. Spring-mounted sign stands which can be used for this purpose are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,646,696; 3,662,482; 4,033,536; 4,265,040; and 4,288,053; as well as in two copending patent applications entitled "Improved Sign Bracket", and "Improved Deflectable Sign And Stand", filed on the same date as the present application, and in a previously-filed copending patent application, Ser. No. 274,400, filed June 17, 1981, all three of said copending applications being assigned to the same assignee as the invention herein. Such spring-mounted sign stands, although they are unanchored, transportable and capable of use regardless of weather conditions, are relatively large in size and would take up too much space in emergency vehicles. Also, known sign stands having sign mounting mechanisms which are not necessarily designed for the immediate and simple mounting needed in emergency-type situations.
Typically, the signs commonly used at construction sites are made of metal or wood and are bulky and heavy. As a result, such signs are not well-suited for compact storage and transportation, such as in a police or other emergency vehicle. In order to provide a lighter and more easily transportable display, signs have been developed which are made out of a heavy-duty flexible material, such as reinforced cloth, vinyl, or plastic. Such signs are lighter and easier to handle than the prior metal or wood signs and are also typically adapted to be rolled-up or folded-up for ease of transportation and storage. These roll-up signs typically have one or more substantially rigid cross-braces to hold them in their fully extended configurations, with brackets or other mounting means on the sign stands for holding the signs in place. Many of the brackets presently in use for mounting or attaching such signs to the sign stands, however, are often difficult and time-consuming to operate, and typically are relatively heavy and bulky, thereby making them inconvenient for use with emergency vehicles. For emergency use, it is often necessary that the warning devices be adapted to be set up and made operational with as little difficulty and as quickly as possible.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved light-weight, foldable and compact sign stand for holding and securing signs thereto, thereby facilitating the convenient storage and transportation of the sign and stand components. It is a further object to provide a sign stand that has the particular capability of quick and easy mounting or attachment of a roll-up or other flexible-type sign on the frame member of the sign stand.
In accordance with the invention, a sign stand for a sign having a flexible sign panel and a sign mounting member or cross-brace thereon generally includes a base, an upstanding frame member, means for connecting the frame member to the base, and means for attaching the sign's mounting member to the frame member. The stand base preferably includes a plurality of telescoping legs or other ground-engaging means that may be selectively retracted into a shortened configuration or extended into an elongated configuration. The legs are also pivotally attached to the stand base assembly so that they may be folded upwardly to a position generally adjacent and parallel to the frame member for transportation or storage or folded downwardly to a ground-engaging position generally perpendicular to the frame member. Preferably, the frame member and base, when combined, are approximately the same length as the shortened legs so that when retracted and folded upwardly, the legs form a compact package with the frame and base for ease and convenience of storage.
The upstanding frame member preferably includes means for being resiliently deflected, relative to the base assembly, generally along a predetermined plane in response to wind forces which are generally directed transverse to the plane of the sign panel. The sign attachment means in the preferred embodiment is adapted to permit the sign panel to pivot or swing laterally about a generally vertical axis in response to side-wind forces directed generally parallel to the plane of a sign. Such pivotal or swinging movement of the sign panel allows the wind to produce a force on the sign panel generally transverse to the side-wind forces and allows the frame member to more easily pivotally deflect along the above-mentioned predetermined plane, thereby insuring against tipping over of the sign stand.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.